Devotions - Prayer
God’s Love doesn’t just fall out of heaven, It comes through us! We are the Body of Christ on earth, and His hand outstretched to heal.
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us…” 2 Corinthians 5:20
The Father is the great Peace Maker. But, that peace came at a great cost. Colossians 1 teaches us that the cost to God of reconciling (making peace) with us was Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross.
Jesus has enabled anyone who will trust Him for forgiveness and healing and freedom, to be at peace with God.
Jesus understands precisely how we feel because He went through the same types of situations we do.
Though details of our lives may not match His, the experiences and feelings are alike.
Let’s look at several examples of how Jesus identifies with us:
• Misunderstanding: People constantly misunderstood His claims to be the Son of God.
• Rejection: He was unappreciated by the ones He came to love and die for.
• Pressure: Crowds surrounded Him, begging for help and demanding His attention.
• Exhaustion: He experienced all the weakness of humanity.
• Loneliness: At Gethsemane, when He needed human companionship the most, His closest friends fell asleep.
• Temptation: Satan hit Him with every imaginable type of attack and temptation. Jesus quoted Scripture each time.
• Hatred: Religious leaders despised Him.
• Injustice: Though Jesus lived a sinless life, He died a criminal’s death.
• Pain: He suffered the excruciating pain of scourging and crucifixion.
Whatever you’re going through right now, remember that Jesus knows how you feel and sympathizes with your pain and weakness.
Hebrews 5:8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
Jesus may not remove the anguish or change your situation, but He’ll always give you the grace to resist temptation, endure suffering, and grow in spiritual maturity.
Lord I thank you for the strength you give me in the midst of trouble for I am reminded the joy of The Lord is my strength. Amen
See Philippians 4:4-7
God crafted us to reflect His image, not create our own.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
Living fully in the knowledge that we are one of God’s wondrous works is our greatest praise to Him!
It’s in becoming our truest, God-created selves, reflecting His image in the gifts and wiring He’s given us, that we’ll connect most deeply with our Creator and with others.
John 7:15 “And the Jews marveled, saying, How does he know so much when he has not been trained?” 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. ”
Jesus received His wisdom and knowledge by direct revelation from the Spirit of God rather than by the teachings of man.
• Jesus had been learning, but not through man.
• The Holy Spirit was His teacher.
Jesus had to be taught the things of God.
Jesus’ spirit man was 100% God and had all of the wisdom and understanding of God in it, but it was manifest in natural flesh. It wasn’t sinful flesh but it was flesh, nonetheless, and had to be educated.
Jesus was not taught by man, but He was taught by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge was within Him but it had to be drawn out.
At the new birth, a born-again man’s spirit “is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10).
“We have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and “an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 Jn. 2:20).
All of these things are a reality in our spiritual man. However, just as Jesus had to be taught, so we must draw this wisdom and knowledge out of our spirits and renew our minds with it (Rom. 12:2).
This is one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit to the believer.
Through the new birth, we have received the mind of Christ in our spirit man and are in the process of growing in wisdom by drawing this knowledge out of our spirits and renewing (or reprogramming) our minds. This wisdom has to be drawn out by faith, time spent in the Word, and prayer.
A changed life convinces people of Christ’s power.
One of our greatest testimonies is the difference others see in our life and attitudes since we have believed in Christ.
Lord, I long to walk in freedom and to become the person you intended me to be when You wove me together. Help me be authentic, instead of shape-shifting to please others or to attain an impossible image. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read MoreMy Testimony is that I’m already paid for by the blood of Jesus!
Revelations 12:11 But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
The greatest power is God’s blood—-Jesus shed Blood on the Cross.
*Blood is a substance, Faith is the KEY.
*Blood brings deliverance and healing.
*The blood brings access for us to God.
A time-honored, effective method of evangelism is your personal testimony.
Remember you are God’s Ambassador now and bring a message of reconciliation, healing and hope to all who are open to hear. The result is we have the privilege of bringing God to people and people to God. (See 2 Corinthians 5:20).
Consider these five suggestions:
1. You want to be listened to, so be interesting.
2. You want to be understood, so be logical.
Think of your salvation in three phases and construct your testimony accordingly:
(a) before you were born again—the struggles within, the loneliness, lack of peace, absence of love, unrest, and fears;
(b) the decision that revolutionized your life; and
(c) the change—the difference it has made since you received Christ.
(Read Ephesians 2:1-10 for who we all were and now who we have become.)
3. You want the moment of your new birth to be clear, so be specific.
Don’t be vague. Speak of Christ. Emphasize faith more than feeling.
4. You want your testimony to be used, so be practical.
Be human and honest as you talk. Don’t promise, “All your problems will end if you will become a Christian,” for that isn’t true. Try to think as unbelievers think. (Read 1 John 3:1-3)
5. You want your testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine.
A smile breaks down more barriers than the hammer blows of cold, hard facts.Let your enthusiasm flow freely.
Above all, be positive and courteous(accept whatever comes our way because of our loyalty to Jesus Christ). Absolutely refuse to argue. Nobody I ever met was “arm wrestled” into the kingdom. Trust in the Holy Spirit to move in their life.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. Amen
Read MoreRev. Billy Graham, said that our children are growing up in a “lawless and wicked age,” infused with the “philosophy of the Devil, who says, ‘Do as you please.’”
Further, rearing children in this culture is difficult because “we have taken God out of our educational systems and thought we could get away with it,” said Rev. Graham.
“We have sown the wind, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. We have laughed at God, religion and the Bible.”
“Many Christian parents are becoming fearful that they cannot properly train their children in this lawless and wicked age,” and are asking, “What can I do with my son? My daughter?” said Rev. Graham.
“We are beginning to reap what has been sown for the past generation,” he said. “We have taught the philosophy of the Devil, who says, ‘Do as you please.’
Behaviorism has been the moral philosophy of much of our education in the past few years.”
Rev. Graham continued, “Many of our educational leaders sneer at the old-fashioned idea of God and a moral code.
Movies feature sex, sin, crime and alcohol.
Teenagers see these things portrayed alluringly on the screen and decide to go and try them.
Newspapers have played up crime and sex until they seem glamorous to our young people.”
One of the fundamental problems, according to Rev. Graham, is the failure of parents to fight “the Devil in the home” through discipline and, as a result, “children are allowed to go wild.”
Parents must spend time with their children, set a good example for them, discipline them, and teach them to “know God,” said the pastor, who has five children and 19 grandchildren.
“If you fail to discipline your children, you are breaking the laws, commandments and statutes of God,” said Rev. Graham. “You are guilty not only of injuring the moral, spiritual and physical lives of your children, but of sinning against God.
The Bible says that if you fail to discipline your children, you actually hate them.”
The best way to influence your children, he added, is to set a good example because “the majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.”
As for teaching your children to know God, Rev. Graham said, “Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place daily.
Most trouble with teenagers comes from children reared in homes where prayer is neglected, the Bible is never opened and church attendance is spasmodic.
Christ gives the moral stability, understanding, wisdom and patience needed to rear children.”
There is only one solution to combating the problems afflicting young people, concluded Rev. Graham, and that answer is Christ: “Christ in the home, in the lives of the parents, is the only permanent solution to the menacing teenage social problems in America.”
Church every Sunday and daily prayer “will solve 90 percent of the problems you have with your children,” he said.
For teens who want true joy and happiness, and not the temporary intoxications of today’s sinful culture, they should turn to Jesus Christ. He “can give you the greatest happiness, the greatest adventure and the greatest thrills you have ever known,” said Rev. Graham.
END
WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS NOT MORE “SELF-HELP BUT THE LORD’S HELP!
READ COLOSSIANS 2:2-3
Even though a faith choice is much harder to make, it is the only choice that will align us with God’s Will.
** “But he who listens to Me shall live securely, and shall be at ease form the dread of evil.” Proverbs 1:33
MATTHEW 26:75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
It’s not the Bible lying on your coffee table that makes the enemy flee, but the Word of God hidden in your heart, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoken in the appropriate situation.
It’s similar to what Jesus says in John 6:63, that “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”
The words that we speak from the written Word of God are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The Word by itself doesn’t make us free. It is the Word we know and speak that will deliver us (Jn. 8:32).
Why is the Word so effective?
*Because it is the WORD of God. The Word of God is the Sword which is Part of the Armor we need to put on each day. (Ephesian 6)
*It has authority, because it is indeed the WORD of God.
God’s Word supersedes all authority of the church, of reason, of intellect, and even of Satan. That’s why it is so effective.
In Luke, chapter four, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God that Jesus used to defeat the enemy at His temptation.
Jesus constantly met His temptation by quoting from God’s Word as He repeatedly stated the phrase, —————“It is written.”
Likewise, the Christian soldier must avail himself of God’s Word by placing it in his heart so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory.
*Take your stand on God’s Word and allow nothing to undermine your faith in any way.
Lord, Thank You for Your WORD –sending your son Jesus to die for my sins and forgiving me for the times that I denied you just as Peter was forgiven. In JESUS Holy name I pray, AMEN!!!
Read MoreThe Pharisees were men who had dedicated their lives to the study of Scripture.
They took a solemn vow before three witnesses to spend every moment of their lives obeying the Ten Commandments. That is not to say they succeeded, because clearly they did not. But that is at least what they tried to do. And with a few exceptions, such as Nicodemus, these Pharisees—these religious experts—had hard hearts. Read Romans 1:18 on for what happens with hard hearts.
What is ironic is they spent their time studying the Scriptures. These men, immersed in such a spiritual endeavor, had hearts that were so hard, they attributed to the devil that which was being done by God.
This reminds us that the church can be a dangerous place for us today.
- It is a place where we honor God.
- It is a place where the Word of God goes out.
- And we have a choice as to how we will react to these things.
If we are in church because we want to worship and learn more about Christ, then that is great.
But if we go to church out of mere obligation, thinking we can sin a little more because we have done our duty, that can be dangerous.
It is easier to get a hard heart inside the church than outside of it. So if you have a critical spirit and a hard heart, watch out. The church can be a dangerous place for you. And sometimes the most hardened people can be inside the church, because they think,
- I know it all.
- I have heard it all.
- I am so spiritual.
The problem is they are getting a hard heart. They are arrogant and resistant to the work the Holy Spirit wants to do in their lives.
We need the Word of God and the Holy Spirit “together”–to come into our hearts and minds to renew our minds to what the Lord is saying and then put into action what you have received.
Thank you Jesus for the Holy Spirit and Your Word to direct and guide us–Help us to bring YOU all the Glory. Amen
Read Hosea 4:6 on “Lack of knowledge”
Read More“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things” (Isa 45:7).
God will use pain in order to create a love relationship with His creation.
This statement may challenge your theology. However, consider that God allowed Jesus to experience incredible pain in order to create an opportunity to have a relationship with His creation.
Consider how Jesus created a relationship with Paul. He blinded him and used a crisis in his life in order to bring him into a relationship with him and use him for God’s purposes.
Consider how God recruited Jonah for the mission He had for him.
This is not God’s first choice for His creation. Romans 2:4 reveals that God’s preference is to show mercy and kindness: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”
-God loves people more than He loves their comfort.
-He invests a great deal into mankind.
-He desires relationship with us and will go to great lengths to create such a relationship in order for us to receive the rewards and inheritance He has for us. A relationship that is motivated now by love and devotion instead of pain.
This is where God desires us to be. Another way of saying this is we are no longer seeking His hand. We are seeking Him. We want to know God personally.
Obedience will not last when the motivation is only the removal of our pain.
God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded. Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). Imagine that – Jesus having to learn obedience. What does that say for you and me?
Sometimes God’s delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.
Faint not, for the promise may yet come. Amen
If we are to become more and more like Christ each day—then we should know and teach daily “Jesus Character” found in His Sermon and Teaching on the Mount–Beatitudes–for US to find Purpose, Meaning, and comfort in life.
The 8 Beatitudes–Matthew 5:3-10
1. Vs 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
*Moral Bankruptcy to self—result-we are Accepted–Is. 55:1
2. Vs 4 God blesses those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
*Admit and regret our failure–result-we are Forgiven and have peace—2 Cor. 7:10.
3. Vs 5 God blesses those who are meek(humble),for they will inherit the whole earth.
*Ask Holy Spirit the need and follow through in obedience–result-give up control to control everything. Result- Freedom—Jer. 9:23-24
4. Vs 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
*Actively Pursue God and His will–Result-I am filled with God’s Love-I am Satisfied. Eph. 3:17-19.
5. Vs 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
*Jesus forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them and extend loving forgiving accepting spirit toward others. Result involved in others lives-I am Kind hearted. Matthew 25:37-40.
6. Vs 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
*Be totally honest and do not suppress the truth(Ro. 1:18). Be vulnerable to the Holy Spirit and be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Ro. 12:2). Result-transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ my Lord. I am now Honest. 1 John 3:1-3.
7. Vs 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
*I bring a message of reconciliation, healing and hope to all who will listen. Result-I am an Ambassador. 2 Cor. 5:20.
8. Vs 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
*We now are fully devoted to Jesus. Result- I will joyfully accept whatever comes my way because of my Loyalty to Jesus Christ. I am Courageous. Colossians 3:1-4
While the Beatitudes of Jesus provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also provide peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth.
Take your circumstance through the Beatitudes and see the Holy Spirit work!*Jesus teaching is of Transformation of the INNER Person.
*Only God’s Divine Love can give us the identity and purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
Matthew 5:11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Thank You Jesus for Your Wisdom. I Pray the world will take Your Teachings and put them into practice for Your Glory and our joy. Amen
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13a).
At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I’m not sure I have the strength for the journey.
It’s in those times that God wants me to remember I’m not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide. He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that’s not all.
God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else … God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me Himself.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. “Surely,” you think, “God has an easier road for me to travel.”
The truth is, we aren’t wise enough to assume another path would be best for us.
*Maybe the easier road won’t make us into the person God intends us to be.
*Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.
*Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.
*Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?
Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path.
Our key verse reminds us, “His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”
**Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.
Do not be troubled by these times of perplexity. They are normal experiences coming to all in the life of faith.
Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you live a godly life, you will be persecuted. You can count on this.
It is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when and how much.
- We love to claim the promises of God.
- We love to claim His promises of provision and protection.
- But how many of us have claimed this promise: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12)?
I haven’t. Who likes to be persecuted?
Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-11).
Righteousness (moral orderliness), by its very nature, is confrontational. The very fact that you believe in Jesus bothers some people, because Jesus said, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20).
People give a lot of excuses as to why they are not Christians, but I would say the real reason people do not come to Christ is:
• They don’t want their evil deeds exposed.
• They don’t want to admit they are sinners.
The Eight Truth To Master Life:
Beatitude #8 Matthew 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
I am fully devoted to Jesus Christ, no matter what that will cost.
Result: I courageously and joyfully accept whatever comes my way because of my loyalty to Jesus Christ.
I am “Courageous.”
*For all the kindheartedness and sincerity and effort to make peace, the result may be rejection, persecution, perhaps even death. Many times Jesus taught that the rebellious human race would choose darkness rather than light. They would rather be their own God than acknowledge the One True God, Who gave His son for them. See John Chapters 3& 16. It takes courage to follow Jesus.
You are a representative of Christ. And the reality is that if you follow Jesus, then you will face persecution. Because “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
Lord, help me keep the Faith no matter what comes my way. Only through You can we have Victory. Amen
Read Colossians 3:1-4
Read MoreGod has made available to us the riches of this Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) — His Word — which reveals to us the riches of His kingdom and of our eternal life in Christ.
God longs for us to know Him, and has revealed Himself in His Son. He has redeemed us through the blood His resurrected Son shed on the Cross, and has called us into a Spiritual relationship with Him.
Into our soul and our life He pours all the riches of heaven — “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,” as Luke 6:38 tells us. But we must get to know Him as He reaches out to us through the pages of Scripture, led by His Holy Spirit. We cannot imagine a greater adventure!
Love without God’s Wisdom is not Godly Love at all.
* “A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him towards the left.” Ecclesiastes 10:2
“Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food; and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”(Psalm 107:17-20)
There’s a picture of people in desperate need. They’ve become so sick they’ve lost all appetite. Their physical frame has dwindled away and they are just there waiting to die. And then it says, “They cried out to the LORD in their trouble.”
*My comment on that is that some people, including myself leave it awfully late to pray at times!
*But God heard even that last desperate cry. It says “He saved them out of their distresses.
“God sent His WORD and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
How did God answer that desperate cry for help?
*It’s so important to see that the primary answer of God to our need is through His Word, the Scripture.
*God sent His word and through His word- He did three things:
* He saved!
* He healed!
* He delivered!
Those are the three provisions of God’s mercy:
*He saves from sin.
*He heals from sickness.
*He delivers from the power of Satan. And remember, it’s through His Word.
The Word is the way in which God primarily answers our prayers and comes into our lives.
If you are in desperate need and call out to God for help, then expect help to come through His Word.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
WARNING – 2 Timothy 4:3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
*Our best defense is to Preach & Teach the Word of God without watering it down.
*False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!
Thank You Jesus, That, “The Bible” IS the Word of God – It is Truth! Teach me what is right and True daily, and keep me from following man’s teachings, for Your Glory. Amen
Read MoreI think we’re asking the wrong question, because the Bible uses that word to describe a group of people, not a gathering or event. So we really should be asking,
Who IS THE CHURCH? not what.
A Pastor wrote- “The church is the regenerate people of God saved by the power of God for the purposes of God in this world.”
Acts 4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common.
*This means we don’t stop being the church when we walk out of the building on Sunday morning.
*Instead, everything we do, we do as the blood-bought church of God, for the fame of Jesus, everywhere.
God’s Word brings life. God’s Word brings protection and guidance.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A CHURCH?
We can love one another by sharing each others burdens. We have a lot of talkers in the Body of Christ, but what we need are more believers to take action and be willing to listen and pray. (see Galatians 2:20, Eph. 3:14-21)
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
You do not have to go to Bible school or have an ordination paper hanging on your wall in order to be part of God’s royal priesthood.
Everyone who has been washed in the blood of Jesus has been raised up as a priest unto the Lord.
1 Peter 2: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Have you searched your heart about being a priest to your family?
Your work?
Doing God’s work God’s way: Exodus 31:1-11, Proverbs 5:7, Galatians 1:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Hosea 4:6, 1 Corinthians 4:6 for a few
Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder from Your Word. You are amazingly lavish in Your love for me, and You have given me so much. All I have is Yours. Please help me to excel in the grace and worship of giving. Open my eyes to opportunities to bless others for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
(Ephesians 2:10, 4:10-16, 5:29-30, Romans 8:9-11)
Read MoreJohn 14:26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.
In Paul’s time, some believers didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit.
“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).
*These people were saved, but it is clear they were not filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not send His disciples into the world until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
*The disciples had pure hearts and faith to heal the sick and they were witnesses to His resurrection.
*They were even willing to die for Jesus, so what more could there be?
Clearly there was more! “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Do you really want the Holy Spirit to be alive in you? You have to be convinced this is for you.
*You must come to the place where you know you are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing without the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is yours for the asking: “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
1 Corinthians 2:10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. 11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
*Prayer is the master key to having the Holy Spirit.
1. Repent/give up self
2. We must be born again(Turn to God)
3. We must have a thirst for Him.
4. Baptized in the Name of Jesus
5. Open up your heart to the word of God.
6. Ask in faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
Acts 2:38 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 6:63 What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.
Even though spiritual and natural storms rage, find the place of peace where your faith and trust are unshaken. Jesus is with you and for you even in the most difficult circumstances. Amen
Read More
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God”.(Matthew 5:23-24).
*”Christians are to be reconciled, whatever it takes…
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
*Wise speech needs to be careful, humble, gentle, timely and truthful (get rid of half truths)
* A pure heart overflows into pure truthful speech.
Avoiding Conflict!!!
We are called to speak the truth in love.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Eph 4:15-16).
*Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.
*That lack of forgiveness plants the seeds that later led to disaster.
*It’s a lesson for all of us as we can easily fall into temptation to the same pride that ignores our own sinfulness and pushes us to pass judgment on those who sin against us. As James so eloquently reminds us, we have no business passing judgment on others when we ourselves can barely get through a day without sinning.
Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love?
*Most people: Remember the things that ought to be forgotten and forget the things that ought to be remembered.
*Jesus died to set you free. Accept it.
*Let us pray for a pure heart, let us be Spirit directed toward Holiness as He is Holy.
Jesus You are the Way, The Truth and the Life, help me to Love as You Love have loved me for Your Glory. Amen
Biblical Ways to Love in Truth:
*Listen without interrupting. Proverbs 18
*Speak without accusing. James 1:19
*Give without sparing. Proverbs 21:26
*Pray without ceasing. Colossians 1:9
*Answer without arguing. Proverbs 17:1
*Share without pretending. Eph. 4:15
*Enjoy without complaint. Philip. 2:14
*Trust without wavering. Corin. 13:7
*Forgive without punishing. Col. 3:13
*Promise without forgetting. Prov. 13:13
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a
We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.
Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.
It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.
The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.
Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
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